


What Happened After Sunset

by SailorPortia



Series: Femslash February 2021 [1]
Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: Adultery, Canon Compliant, F/F, It's minor but I subscribe to the transmasc Mordred headcanon and gender him accordingly, Just don't think about the timeline too much, Look I just think Saberiri should do the do, Mild Sexual Content, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, Seduction, more or less
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorPortia/pseuds/SailorPortia
Summary: “I don’t think it would be proper for me to entertain a married woman at night.”“You’re a married woman yourself, silly. What’s the danger?”Irisviel's husband has left her alone again, but this time she has Saber to keep her company.
Relationships: Irisviel von Einzbern/Arturia Pendragon | Saber
Series: Femslash February 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140674
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	What Happened After Sunset

Sunlight bled through the skeletal trees of the Einzbern forest, casting a pinkish glow over the snow, as well as Irisviel’s colourless hair. She stood by the window, watching the sunset, and contemplating the things that were to come.

The chamber’s door opened and Saber entered the room, wearing a tight-fitting suit Irisviel had picked out for her. King Arthur looked good in black. “Apologies, Irisviel. Have I interrupted you? You looked deep in thought.”

“Don’t worry about it, Saber.” Irisviel beckoned her closer. “I was just watching the sunset. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Saber faced the window, but took a sidelong glance at her Master’s wife. The reddish glow only accentuated the fairness of her skin and hair. Arturia had seen many fantastical things in her original time on earth—dragons, witches, faeries—but none of them were as otherworldly as Irisviel. “Beautiful,” she agreed.

Irisviel chuckled. “I can tell you’re not looking at it.”

“I’ve never been fond of sunsets,” Saber explained. “They herald the darkness of night. In my time, we didn’t have your modern conveniences like electricity. The sun disappearing meant the day was over, and what happened after sunset was the business of thieves and other villains.”

“That’s part of what makes a sunset so breathtaking. The last of the light to hit the earth every day is the most beautiful, the only time you can see certain colours of sunlight, and only then does the darkness take over. There’s a certain beauty in things ending.”

“If you don’t mind my saying, my lady, that sounds rather grim.”

“Only if you forget that the sun will rise again in the morning, just as bright and colourful as the sunset. One thing ends and another begins. Try looking at it with that in mind.”

Saber’s eyes took in the sunset, but she couldn’t imagine that hopeful light Iri had mentioned. Only the darkness that was to come.

It reminded her of Camlann, the bloody field where Britain was lost. The trees rose from the ground like the discarded swords of fallen knights, the shadows they cast lying as their corpses did. Saber could smell the blood, hear the screams of her dying followers, feel the spear Rhongomiant in her hand and the sword plunged into her chest, held by...

Movement caught her eye and pulled her from her memories. A dark figure crossed the snowy expanse. A black knight.

“My Master is leaving again,” Saber noted.

“He’s busy these days.”

“Indeed.” Saber watched Kiritsugu walk up to another silhouette. “He’s meeting that woman again.”

Irisviel pursed her lips. “He’s very busy.”

“I find my Master’s relationship with that woman to be suspect. A man should be faithful to his wife.”

“Kiritsugu is... a complicated man. Matters of the heart can be complicated, as I’m sure you know.”

“That was different.” Guinevere’s situation was perhaps unique, and Saber bore the burden of guilt for alienating her wife with her need to hide her true gender. “My wife’s affair was not a betrayal; I never loved her as I should have, and she was not at fault for finding solace in Sir Lancelot.” Saber turned to face Irisviel again, her eyebrows clashing like swords. “You love your husband with all your heart, he need not seek comfort in the arms of another woman.”

“It’s not that simple, but those aren’t my secrets to tell,” Irisviel said, a note of sadness in her voice. “Although I’ll admit that I get lonely when he leaves like this.” She looped an arm around Saber’s. “Then it’s a good thing I have you to keep me company.”

The simple contact disarmed Saber. “I don’t think it would be proper for me to entertain a married woman at night.”

“You’re a married woman yourself, silly. What’s the danger?” Mischief twinkled in those ruby eyes.

Irisviel brought Saber away from the window and into the centre of the room. “Has Ilya been put to bed yet?”

“Yes,” Saber said. “She accused me of being a bad caretaker due to my refusal to kiss her goodnight as ‘mommy and daddy’ do.” Being given the same expectations as her Master and his wife caught her off-guard.

Irisviel giggled. “You’re not good with children are you, Saber?” Her face fell when she saw Saber’s reaction. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve read the legends, and I know about your son.”

Mordred. The Knight of Treachery. “I didn’t raise him, but when I had a chance to acknowledge him, I rejected him and denied his birthright. In his anguish, he turned Camelot against itself. All things considered, ‘not good with children’ is letting me off lightly.”

“In your defence, the stakes aren’t that high for most people.” Irisviel cupped Saber’s cheek in her hand. “Not everything is your fault.”

The King of Knights disagreed. She of all people deserved to be held to a higher standard, and here she was being held gently instead. Her first impulse was to shy away—her second was to lean into the hand. These warring desires kept her frozen in place.

Irisviel withdrew her hand. “Sorry for touching you so suddenly.”

“My body isn’t so delicate to be harmed by your touch,” Saber said, desperate to feign indifference. “It is a vessel for my Master to achieve his goals, and by extension you may do with it as you wish.”

Irisviel’s eyes widened. Had she said something peculiar? “I see. I see.”

Saber cleared her throat. “How would you like me to keep you company, my lady?”

Those sly crimson eyes held an unsaid response. Verbally, Irisviel answered, “We can have a girls’ night. A sleepover. You’ve never had one, had you? Not that I have either,” she added with a giggle.

“As you know, I was never allowed such girlish frivolities after drawing Caliburn from the stone. How does one conduct a ‘sleepover’?”

“According to books I’ve read, we get cozy together, giggle like schoolgirls, and talk about our deepest, darkest secrets.” Irisviel seemed amused at the prospect of King Arthur giggling girlishly. She let go of Saber’s arm and skipped over to her bed. “Perhaps you’d like to slip into something more comfortable?”

Something in her voice reminded Saber of Guinevere in the days before their wedding, before it was revealed to her that the king she’d idolized was a woman who she could never love. Saber didn’t want to disappoint Irisviel as well, but...

“My comfort is not a matter of concern at the moment,” she replied at last. “As I said before, my body is not delicate.”

Irisviel hummed to herself. “I wonder about that...” She sat down on the bed, next to her pillow, and patted the covers at her side by way of invitation. Saber couldn’t refuse her. She lowered herself onto the bed close to Irisviel—but not too close.

“Shall we begin the sleepover festivities?”

Irisviel smiled and clasped her hands together. “What shall we do first? Some games? Unfortunately we don’t have enough people for spin the bottle.” Her grin widened. “Did they have that game back in your time?”

They did not. Irisviel explained the mechanics of the game, and Saber was blushing by the end. “S-surely you jest? Are people these days really such libertines?”

“We can’t all be as pure as the sainted King Arthur,” Irisviel giggled at Saber’s scandalized expression. “But even you must have kissed a few people in your life.”

“I most certainly did not,” Saber said curtly. “My only kiss was with Guinevere, and it was solely for our wedding ceremony. It was for duty, nothing more.”

Irisviel pouted. “Really? You never found anything more?”

That ruby gaze weighed heavily on Saber. She turned her head so as to avoid it. “It’s not fair if I’m the only one answering questions. What about your love life?”

“There’s not much to say. I’ve rarely left this castle, so I didn’t have the chance to meet anyone. It’s only ever been Kiritsugu. Until you arrived.”

Iri’s words hung heavily in the air between them.

“What about your love life, Saber? I know you didn’t have the opportunity for a normal relationship, but was there anyone you wanted to be with?”

Saber was uncomfortably aware of Irisviel’s presence in the corner of her vision; it took all her self-restraint not to look at her head-on. “I... that’s...” She shifted in place. “I never entertained such thoughts. I didn’t have that luxury. My knights often pursued romance—for better or for worse—but for the sake of my kingdom I couldn’t allow myself to be compromised by an affair. The only person I could have ever had a relationship with would have been Guinevere, and she couldn’t have fallen in love with a woman.”

“And you?”

“Pardon?”

“You said a relationship was impossible because Guinevere couldn’t fall in love with a woman, not that neither of you could. Do you think you could fall for a woman?”

These were the words that finally turned Saber’s head. Was it only wishful thinking that she saw longing in Irisviel’s eyes? Or was it her own desire reflected back at her?

Irisviel was remarkably beautiful. Bards had sung ballads devoted to Guinevere’s elegance, but in Saber’s eyes there was no comparison between them. Her charm lay not only in her appearance; Irisviel’s gentle soul was what drew her in. Saber found herself enchanted by this woman, a feat never achieved by any of the schemers who would have seduced the peerless king if they had the chance. If Irisviel made advances on her as they did, Saber wouldn’t have it in herself to refuse her. Irisviel was just that alluring.

Irisviel was also, among other things, married.

“I couldn’t possibly... do women fall in love with each in this age?”

“Some do,” Irisviel replied. She shuffled closer to Saber, leaning against her shoulder ever so slightly. “I’m beginning to think I might have.”

There was only one woman she could be referring to. Saber’s heart skipped a beat. “M-my lady?”

Irisviel laid a hand over Saber’s, and the king suddenly wished for her armour suit. Tempered steel would hide her nerves.

“Ever since I met you, I’ve been questioning myself. These quiet moments between us have awakened something in me. I’ve noticed the way you look at me, and I think you’ve felt stirrings too.”

Heat bloomed in Saber’s cheeks, never having felt so disarmed. “I would never look that way at someone else,” she lied. She shied away from Irisviel’s touch, only for her Master’s wife to pursue her, ensnaring the King of Knights around the waist with her slender arms.

“I’m not trying to dishonour you,” Irisviel said. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Coveting another’s wife should make one ashamed.” And yet, Saber remained in Irisviel’s grasp. A Servant such as herself could easily break free. Indeed, there was nothing stopping her from leaving the room to avoid such a shameful situation.

And yet...

Saber removed Irisviel’s hands from her hips and held them gently. Had she touched anyone in this way since her false wedding? She looked deep into her eyes—though cautiously, as if she were at risk of falling in. “I must admit to my shame. My lady—Irisviel, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. In my time, I would have asked you for your favour and resigned myself to the heartsickness and torment of a courtly romance. A relationship based on pure admiration which wouldn’t encroach on your marriage and honour. I don’t know what one would do in this situation in your era.”

“There isn’t a modern equivalent.” Irisviel’s alabaster skin took on a rosy tone. “I was thinking of something a little less pure.”

“Oh.” Saber’s entire body was set aflame as she contemplated Iri’s words, her skin smouldering where it touched hers. “A-are you sure?”

“The Grail War will begin soon.” Irisviel averted her eyes or a moment. “It’s... unlikely that I’ll make it out unscathed. If these are my last days, I’d like to spend them living life to the fullest. I don’t want to have any regrets.”

Saber could understand regret. But would such an entanglement between them incur more? “What about my Master? Your husband?”

Irisviel laid a finger on Saber’s lips. “Kiritsugu isn’t here right now, is he? He’s with Maiya.”

“So he is.” Her disdain for her Master overshadowed her concerns for anyone’s honour, and the prospect of sleeping with someone else’s wife seemed infinitely more inviting. Kiritsugu could go to hell for all she cared.

Irisviel moved her finger away from Saber’s mouth and stroked her cheek. “What was it you said earlier?” She smiled slyly. “I may do with your body as I wish?”

“So I did.” Had anyone ever touched her like this? Not that she could remember. She didn’t want to leave this embrace, not for anything.

The most beautiful woman she’d ever met leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Are you going to stand by your word?”

If she wanted to avoid dishonour, all she had to say was no. She could avoid temptation by leaving the room and never speaking of this again. A rejection was only a word away.

“I am yours, Irisviel.”

Perhaps Irisviel expected to be turned away; her eyes widened slightly in surprise before relaxing dreamily. She smiled briefly before bringing her lips to Saber’s in a tentative kiss.

Saber wasn’t surprised to be kissed, but she was still taken completely unprepared. She had no idea what to do with her lips, and not until the kiss was over did she realize she was supposed to close her eyes. Why did the Grail ritual afford her knowledge of airplanes and jet-skis but not how to kiss?

Her lover drew back and giggled at her flustered reaction. “How was your first proper kiss, Miss King of Knights?” She slipped her arms around Saber’s neck. “Did it live up to your expectations?”

“It was utterly unlike them. N-not that I was fantasizing about kissing you before now.” Saber read disbelief in Irisviel’s playful smile.

“Tell me more about those fantasies you weren’t having.” Irisviel stole another kiss. “I want to know how much a dirty mind a paragon such as yourself can have.”

Saber could only stammer in response. Her ignorance about the ways of carnal love was on full display.

“Don’t worry, Saber. Allow me to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.”

Saber was prepared to be kissed this time, but was nevertheless overwhelmed by Irisviel’s hungry, wanting kisses. Every time those relentless lips met her mouth, her jaw, her neck, she was caught off guard by the unparalleled pleasure. Before she knew it, Irisviel had her on her back, pressing her into the mattress with her delicate weight. It was all she could do to keep up with her first lover.

She held Iri gently, gradually building up the nerve to move her hands across her lover’s body. Irisviel replied in kind, whispering a request to remove the suit she’d given her. Disrobed and lying beneath Iri’s pale, warm body, Saber had never felt more vulnerable. This was the first time she’d allowed herself to be seen naked, and she couldn’t be happier that Irisviel was the one to witness. Irisviel matched her enthusiasm, taking pleasure in discovering all the secrets that her armour had hidden. She brought Saber to her climax as the last light of the day died, and night fell upon the castle.

However, their affair had only begun. Saber was a Servant, and she intended to serve to the full extent of her abilities. Her actions now would have appalled her court, but she found she didn’t care. At last she understood how Sir Lancelot had felt during his own affair. Some selfish desires demanded to be acted upon.


End file.
